Double Cross
by ghfan22222
Summary: Continuation of 5/1 episode. Maxie's plan backfires.


Maxie stood on the Elm Street Pier tapping her foot impatiently. Where was he? How was Spinelli going to rescue her if the moron she hired never showed up? She glanced at her watch and turned toward the stairs. A gloved hand clamped over her mouth as a strong arm snaked around her body.

"Don't make a sound," a voice whispered. "He doesn't want you hurt and I'd hate to have to break the rules."

Maxie relaxed. This was a little over the top, but at least her guy had come through for her. Now it was show time. But where was Spinelli?

"Now, I'm going to move my hand, ok?" he said in a soft voice. Maxie nodded. "Don't scream or turn around or you'll regret it." He removed his hand from her mouth but kept a firm grip as he pulled out his phone.

"Hey, it's me. I got her. We're headed your way." The phone snapped shut as Maxie felt panic rise in her chest. This wasn't part of the plan.

"Wait, you're not supposed to take me anywhere…Spinelli is coming here to rescue-" The gloved hand clamped over her mouth again.

"Shut up!" he hissed as tears stung Maxie's eyes. This was not her guy. He dragged her to a dark car parked in an alley nearby.

"Now close your eyes," he said in a quiet voice. Maxie, now terrified, did as she was told. He tied a folded bandanna around her head, effectively blinding her.

"I'm going to help you into the trunk. You're going to lie face down and put your hands behind you. Like I said, he doesn't want you hurt in any way." His voice was gentle as he took her hand and she clumsily climbed into the trunk of the car. She laid down on her stomach and placed her hands behind her back. He used another bandanna to gently but securely tie her hands. The panic was now coursing through her.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Maxie cried out.

"You have to be quiet," the man told her. "He wouldn't want you getting upset."

"Well, I am!" Maxie screamed, her fear now replaced by anger. "Who is he? Dammit, let me go!"

"Miss Jones, please don't yell," the man said. Maxie gasped when he called her by name. This wasn't good.

"HELP!" Maxie screamed as she kicked her feet and struggled against her captor. Her cries were cut off by the gag being placed into her mouth and tied behind her head. The trunk slammed shut and Maxie sobbed quietly as the car drove off.

They drove for what Maxie figured was about twenty minutes. What was going on? Who had she pissed off enough to do this? She began to think about her kidnapper…there was something odd about the whole situation. He had only spoken in a low, raspy voice. His voice was vaguely familiar but she couldn't place it.

The car pulled to a stop with a jerk and she heard the trunk pop open. Her first instinct was to begin kicking wildly and make as much racket as possible.

"Stop! Stop it!" he said as he tried to still her. "Maxie, be still, damn it!"

She froze at the sound of her name. He took that opportunity to gently lift her from the trunk and place her on her feet.

"Now this can all be over soon if you follow instructions, ok?" he said as he held her firmly.

She nodded and he led her into a room. He sat her gently in a soft chair before kneeling in front of her and removing the gag.

"Here's what is going to happen. Are you listening to me?"

Maxie nodded as tears ran down her face.

"I'm going to untie your hands. Once you hear the door close, you can take off the blindfold. There's a bathroom over to your left. You have ten minutes to do what you need to do. When you finish, come back to this chair and blindfold yourself. Place your hands on the arms of the chair. Then I'll come back in. He will be coming to check in on you soon, so you need to behave. Ok? You're going to behave?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered shakily.

"Good. Now I'm going to untie you. Do not move until you hear the door close." Maxie nodded and leaned forward so he could untie her hands. The bandanna was removed and he pulled her hands around to the front. He placed them on the arms of the chair. His footsteps told her that he was leaving, and a moment later she heard the door shut. She reached up and removed the bandanna that had covered her eyes. She blinked a couple times as her eyes adjusted to the light.

She looked around the room and noticed a couch as well as a desk and the leather office chair she had been sitting in. She noticed that her purse had been tossed on the desk. It was a well furnished room and the furniture appeared to be expensive. Her eyes lit on a darkly tinted window in the room near the door. 'He's watching me,' she said. She headed over to the bathroom that adjoined the office. She closed the door, glad for the privacy. As she stared at herself in the mirror, she willed herself to come up with a plan. "Think, Maxie," she said to herself. "Whoever this is doesn't want me to be hurt. That means they're probably not planning to kill me. That's a relief." Maxie rolled her eyes at the absurdity of her comment.

She had been treated well, considering that she had been kidnapped. Whoever was behind this had pulled out all the stops. She realized that this was no ordinary kidnapping. No ropes or handcuffs, no duct tape over her mouth. He had been gentle and kind, even helping her into the trunk instead of just tossing her in. Everything was thoughtful and well-planned.

She sighed, more confused than ever. If only Spinelli had been on the pier…

"My phone! " she gasped as it hit her. It was in her purse. There was no way she could go get it, though – he was watching. The wheels began turning. She had called Spinelli and pretended that she was being stalked to get him to come to her. He was headed toward the pier, and when he got there and didn't find her, he would start looking for her and would track her phone through GPS. She smiled with relief. Maybe her plan hadn't backfired as much as she thought. Her Jackal would find her.

She emerged from the bathroom and went back to the chair. She was still worried, but she trusted that Spinelli would find her. She took a deep breath as she blindfolded herself and placed her hands on the arms of the chair. The door opened and footsteps approached her.

"Ok, Miss Jones, it is going to be awhile before he comes to check on you. He wants me to make sure you're as comfortable as possible. Would you like to lie down on the couch or would you prefer to sit here?" he asked.

"I want to go home," Maxie mumbled.

"I know and I'm sorry. I'm just following orders," he replied with sincere regret. He knew he shouldn't have agreed to do this.

"I understand," Maxie said with a sigh. "I guess I'd like to lie down."

He took her hand and led her to the couch. She turned and reclined, placing her head on a throw pillow.

"You must keep the blindfold on and stay on the couch. If you need anything, please speak up. I'll be right outside. And I apologize, but I'm going to have to tie your hands and feet," he said softly. "Boss's orders."

She teared up at the sincerety of his voice. She extended her hands and he tied them together again with the bandanna. She rested them on her stomach as she tried to relax. She felt him wrap another piece of cloth around her ankles as he gently knotted it. His footsteps receded and she heard the door close. Tears streamed out from under the blindfold.

"Please hurry, Spinelli. Please come find me."

Maxie drifted off to sleep and awoke with a start, confused and disoriented. Footsteps approached her and her captor placed his hand gently on her arm. "Are you awake?"

Maxie relaxed and took a deep breath. For some odd reason, his presence comforted her. "Yeah."

"The boss called. It's time," he said.

"Time?" Maxie asked. "Time for what? "

"For this to be over."

Both sighed with relief. This was the last time he'd do a favor for a friend.

He reached down and untied her ankles before helping her to her feet.

"Let's go to the car," he said as he began to lead her.

"Wait! My purse," Maxie said. "It's my new Fendi, and Kate – my boss – would never forgive me if I left it somewhere." Truth be told, she needed to make sure Spinelli knew where to find her.

"Umm…ok," he released her and grabbed the purse off the desk. He looped the strap across Maxie's body and took her by the arm. Maxie was aware of the brightness as they stepped outside. A car door opened and he helped Maxie in before sliding in next to her. The car drove off and stopped after only about ten minutes. He unbuckled their seatbelts and opened the door.

"Wait," Maxie said. "I thought you were taking me back home."

"Not yet. The boss has other plans."

"No! You said this was going to be over!" Maxie began to struggle and panic. He grabbed her firmly.

"It is, just not the way you planned. You can go home as soon as…"

"As soon as what?" Maxie asked, fear creeping in.

"Someone finds you," he finished softly. He absolutely hated this. But it was how it had to happen.

She began to sob as he led her through what felt like a maze of doors and hallways. They finally entered a final room and he closed and locked the door. Maxie was standing in the middle of the room and it was totally quiet. Thinking she had been left alone, she reached her bound hands up to remove the blindfold. She was startled as he grabbed her hands.

"No," he said firmly. "You can't take that off."

"I thought you had left. Look, I can tell you hate this as much as I do. Just let me go. I won't tell anyone and you can pretend you did your job," she pleaded, grabbing his hand in hers.

"I'm sorry, Max-um-Miss Jones, but I can't do that," he said. He did hate this, but it had to be this way. "Please just work with me and I'll make sure you're found," he said trying to reassure her.

"My boss gave me strict instructions on how to leave you. We can either do it the easy way or the hard way, but I'd really prefer the easy way, ok?" he said gently.

Maxie nodded, biting her lip.

"I need you to sit here, on the floor, with your back up against the wall," he said as he helped her to sit. "I'm going to untie your hands and then retie them, so don't move. Pull your knees up with your feet flat on the floor. Like that," he said as he tied her ankles together. He untied the bandanna around her wrists and brought her hands down before tying them together again behind her knees.

He took a deep breath. He couldn't stand to do this to her, but he knew she would be found quickly. He had to do this…he owed it to his friend.

"Okay, I'm so sorry, but I have to gag you," he said, running his hand through his hair. A small sob escaped from Maxie.

"Please…" she begged. "Please don't do this…don't leave me here."

"It's going to be okay, Maxie." His voice was kind and familiar. "I promise. It won't be long, but I have to follow orders."

She took in a shaky breath. "Okay," she agreed reluctantly. She didn't know why, but she trusted him.

"Ready?" he asked.

She nodded. He tied the bandanna and stood up from his kneeling position. He turned away, not able to look at her.

"It's going to be okay," he promised her as he walked out the door.

Maxie laid her head on her knees as she cried, praying to be found.

Out in the hall, he met up with his friend.

"It's done," he informed his friend.

"Thank you. And you followed all my instructions?"

"To the letter. She's scared, but I treated her as best I could considering…"

"Thanks Johnny."

"No problem, man…I owed you one for screwing things up for you two."

The two men shook hands as his friend headed to the door where Maxie was. Johnny headed out to meet Lulu at the car.

"Maximista? Are you in there?" Spinelli shouted as he banged on the door. He heard a muffled cry and he pretended to fight the locked door. "Do not fear, my love, the Jackal is here!"

Maxie's heart soared as she heard Spinelli's voice. She knew he'd save her. She heard the door rattling as he tried to get to her. The door burst open and she felt him rush to her side. He pulled off the blindfold and removed the bandanna from her mouth.

"Spinelli!" she cried as she saw his face. As soon as her hands were released she threw her arms around his neck. He held her as she sobbed. He untied her ankles and pulled her into his lap as he sat on the floor next to her.

"My Maximista, I'm so sorry," he said regretfully. His plan had caused her great distress.

"Spinelli, it's not your fault," she said as she wiped her tears. "You saved me. I had this stupid plan to pretend to be in trouble so you could rescue me, but then I was kidnapped for real. You truly did save me. I'm so sorry that I was going to deceive you. I just love you so much and I've missed you."

"It's okay," Spinelli said reassuringly as he smoothed her hair. "I'm here now. When I reached the pier and you weren't there, I realized that I couldn't live without you. I've missed you so much. I love you Maximista."

"Can we go home now?" Maxie asked.

"Most certainly, my love," Spinelli said as he helped her to her feet.

The two walked from the warehouse hand in hand. Each had felt guilty about their deception of the other, but now that they were together, nothing else mattered.


End file.
